Viet Nam prepares for longer working lives
Rank 24 | Work and inclusion | Viet Nam | SDGs 3, 8, 10
Source publication: 1 October 2026. Clock time not stated by publisher. Evidence status: Policy plan adopted; employment goal prospective.
AI-generated representative illustration | sepia and teal duotone editorial illustration. Credit: Development Connects | Kallol Saha.
Viet Nam is preparing labour and social-protection policies for an older population under a five-year plan described by the International Labour Organization on 1 October. The prime ministerial decision was taken on 3 September and covers 2026-31. It calls for work on reskilling, lifelong learning, age-inclusive workplaces and protection for older workers.
The ILO cites national statistics showing approximately 2.6 million people aged 65 or over were working in 2024. It also says more than one in five Vietnamese people is projected to be over 60 within a decade. The projection is a future demographic scenario, not the present share. A national strategy aims for at least half of older people who want and are able to work to have jobs by 2030. That, too, is a target.
Case detail
The plan builds on a national strategy on older persons approved in February 2025. A population law adopted on 10 December 2025 and effective from 1 July 2026 provides a legal basis for supporting older people's work, employment, social security and participation in entrepreneurship and digital transformation. The ILO also describes older people as potential peer supporters and community service providers within an emerging care economy.
That role depends on training, conditions and protection as well as willingness to work. The employment target applies to older people who want and are able to work, rather than everyone above a specified age. It should therefore not be read as a requirement that all older citizens remain employed, or as evidence that the 2030 goal has been reached.
Evidence and delivery status
The population and employment figures use different age thresholds and time periods: workers aged 65 and over in 2024, and a future population share above 60. Neither is a measure of the plan's effects. The 2030 jobs goal remains a target within a wider framework for ageing, skills and protection.
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